Welcoming a newborn
The bath and call to prayer (adhan) for a new baby, softening a date in its mouth (tahnik), and how to choose a good name.
When a baby is born into a Muslim family, there are some lovely sunnahs to follow to welcome them.
Welcoming the baby
- Give the baby a gentle bath, and dress them in clean, white clothes, not yellow ones.
- The baby's father, or another elder, says the adhan (call to prayer) softly into the baby's right ear, and the iqamah into the left ear.This way, the very first words the baby hears are the names of Allah and His Messenger.
- A family elder or a pious person chews a small piece of date, or honey, or another natural sweet that hasn't been cooked, and gently rubs it on the baby's upper palate. This is called tahnik.
- On the seventh day, the family does the aqiqah, sacrificing an animal, and gives the baby a name.
When a Muslim family welcomes a newborn, it is recommended to first give the baby a gentle bath and dress them in clean white clothes, avoiding yellow.
It is recommended that the baby's father, or another elder, give the adhan in the baby's right ear and the iqamah in the left ear.
1After the adhan and iqamah, it is recommended for a family elder or a pious person to chew a date, honey, or another natural sweet that has not been cooked or heated, and gently rub it on the baby's upper palate.
123Giving a child a good name is sunnah.
123It is forbidden to mock or distort a child's name once it has been given.
Following the Prophet ﷺ, who disliked negative names and would often change them to positive ones, parents are advised not to give a child an unpleasant name, and to change such a name if one has already been given.
1234On welcoming a newborn, a gentle bath followed by clean white clothing, yellow being avoided, is mustaḥabb.
The father, or in his absence another elder, is to recite the adhān into the newborn's right ear and the iqāmah into the left.
1Following the adhān and iqāmah, taḥnīk is mustaḥabb: a family elder or a person of piety chews a date, honey, or another natural sweet, uncooked and unheated, and applies it gently to the roof of the infant's mouth.
123Bestowing a good name upon a child is sunnah.
123Mockery or distortion of a name once conferred is ḥarām.
The Prophet ﷺ disliked names of negative import and habitually replaced them with positive ones; parents are correspondingly directed to withhold unpleasant names from their children, and to change any already given.
1234This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 285 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
Appendix
When a Muslim family welcomes a newborn, they should first give the baby a gentle bath and dress them in clean, white clothes, avoiding yellow ones. Then, the baby’s father or another elder should call the اذان (Adhan) in the baby's right ear and the اقامت (Iqamah) in the left ear. This is to ensure that the very first sounds the child hears are the names of Allah and His Messenger. The blessings from these holy names are believed to drive away any evil influence.
After the Adhan and Iqamah, a family elder or a pious person should chew a date, honey, or another natural sweet that hasn't been cooked or heated, and gently rub it on the baby’s upper palate. On the seventh day, the family should perform the عقیقہ (Aqiqah) ceremony, which involves sacrificing an animal and naming the child.
It is a Sunnah (Prophetic tradition) to give a good name to the child. A good name is one that shows devotion, like عبد الله, عبد الرحمن, or عبد الرحیم (servant of Allah, servant of the Merciful, etc.), as these names are beloved by Allah. It is also commendable to name children after Prophets, such as محمد, عیسیٰ, موسیٰ, اسماعیل, ابراہیم. In particular, the name Muhammad carries immense blessings and qualities. It is forbidden to mock or distort these names once given.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ disliked negative names and would often change them to positive ones. Therefore, Muslims are advised not to give unpleasant names to their children, and if they already have such names, they should be changed. May Allah grant the Muslims the ability to fully embody the teachings of Islam, and to avoid both bad names and bad actions.
Terms on this page
Related
- The rulings of the newborn's sacrifice (aqiqah) The sacrifice made for a newborn: when to do it, how many goats, the method and supplication (duʿā), and how the meat, hair and skin are handled.
- The call to prayer (adhan) for a newborn and in distress, and other rulings Giving the call to prayer (adhan) outside the five daily prayers, and a set of everyday rulings about calling and repeating it.
- The rules of the call to prayer (adhan) and the iqamah, and when an adhan counts Who must give the call to prayer (adhan), when it is and isn't required, and the four conditions that make an adhan valid.
- Belief in destiny (Qadr) The sixth article of faith: that Allah has written all that happens, while people still choose and are answerable for their own actions.